


For the Want of a Smile

by Ioshi



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dimension Travel, Gen, Manga Logic, kinda like self-insert but with OC, oc-insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 18:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15149426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ioshi/pseuds/Ioshi
Summary: When you think you know everything, when you think you can avoid everything, life decided to throw a wrench your way and that capricious hold you have of sanity was instantly flushed down the drain the moment you meet that one person with a sunny grin and sincere promises.(the moment your resolve to avoid all things canon and let the plot takes its course crashed against that wide, wide grin and sincere eyes.)





	For the Want of a Smile

Time is merciless.

It flew by without any consideration to anyone it passed by, or how much they wished it would slow down and take its – heh – time.  
Looking down at my black book, I felt that it was only yesterday that I marked the second page of a new journal with a big roman I numeral.

One book for one year…

I sighed morosely at the reminder of yet another year stranded in this blasted situation with no way out in sight.

None at all…

Despite searching the world for nine-going-ten years.

Another frustrated huff escaped me as I drew an elaborate X on the second page, making sure it looked like a proper roman numeral instead of a target sign.

I was never an artist, but in ten years is a long time and for someone like me who needed to record as much detail as possible, drawing became a skill that I had to painstakingly learn.

Literally painstaking, as paper was expensive and making money only to literally burn it was painful, both to the body and to the heart. I would never be a famous artist, but my renditions were enough to at least capture most of the likeness of real life. The fact that I continued to improve with each sketch kept my spirit up.

When I first arrived in this world, it was all menial and furtive jobs. Now that I had learned more and became stronger – it was _ridiculous_ how hard work paid in this world – money was easier to come by. Training was even easier (relatively) when one already knew the secret of at least two major powers that dominated this world (psst: haki was _such_ a game-changer).

But I digressed.

This was, by far, the first civilized town I had landed on for some time now and it only had rudimentary supply of writing and reading materials, most of which I had purchased and now lying on my bed as I worked on my new journal. I had been looking for some newspaper in the bookstore and ended up leaving with a bunch of books more than what I originally intended. Well, when one was hunting for information, more books were always welcomed (or so my justification was to my lighter money pouch).

That was another thing I missed most – the easy distribution of information, or rather, easy communication. In this antiquated world, news travel through posts, or if one had the resources, then Den Den Mushi and even those snails have their limit.

International calls were rare and mostly, only the marines or nobles could afford them. Not to mention the sheer craziness in this world’s geography…

Letters sent out via ships or messenger birds were more popular in any case, but far, far less reliable.

Then again, compared to email and messenger apps, nothing in this world was reliable.

I really, really miss a lot of things in my old world.

Sanity, was chief among them. Yes, you heard that right.

In this world, anything was possible, as long as you put your mind to it…or at least persevere enough to execute the method or get the item to achieve your goal. There would always be a price to that prize, but nothing was impossible – that was all what I wanted to say.

That was one reason why I disregarded all logic and kept searching for a way home even after 9 years living in this one. Nothing in these seas that was worth having could be gained while still thinking like a logical, _sane_ person. Though at this point, I wondered if it was just pride that kept me from stopping, or did I see it as a duty to at least try my best...

I wouldn’t mind staying here, all things considered. Seeing that I’d been here for almost a decade now, I hardly think I would be in a good mind-set to go home anyway. One thing for sure, (in)sanity apart, my moral compass was already way, _way_ , **way** skewed to really successfully re-integrate myself to that paradise-like world of mine really.

I mean, killing people was an ok thing in my book by now.

Stealing? Pfft.

Blackmail? Grave robbing? Highway robbery? Ah good past times.

In my travel to get answers on how to go back, I could hardly move forward if I played by the old rules…or by the letters of the law…or by straight normal people morals…

Breaking the rules (and not get caught) was the quickest way to get to what you need. 

(or curious about)

(or just plainly want to have)

At any rate, the more I see, the more I _know_ , the more I got worried about the price to go home.

Something that could open the gates between dimensions and brought be back - well, it couldn't be something simple. 

Also…what made me come here in the first place? That question felt important somehow. Like it would answer all my questions and settled my doubts. And at the same time insignificant in a sense that would it even mattered if I didn’t get go back home. Not that I wanted to anymore. Or did I?

Ugh, confusing.

This was why I hated thinking about home too much. However, on days when I made new journals, I did tend to walk down the memory lane. An unconscious way to never forget that home-world of mine that was becoming more and more idealistic and perfect utopia as time passed on perhaps.

(Though all I needed to do was revisited my third year book to remember all the negative things about it. Something I started when I realized that I was describing my world too much like someone describing Elysian. Beautiful, peaceful, unreal. No. Reality had to be preserved, hence the account of all wars, weapons, poverty, any imperfection I could remember of Earth.

Needless to say, that was one book I rarely ever re-read throughout my journey.)

Really though, I thought idly as I caressed my new book. If I never get to go home, it wouldn’t be such a waste. There were too many things in this world that I still hadn’t see.

In the Four seas, in the Grand Line, on the Red Line even!

Sighing, I sketched the last curve into the page and blew on it to dry the blood-mixed ink. As it dried, the sketch glowed green before settling down.

I smiled with satisfaction at how well the sealing spell had settled.

Now, onto the news…

*GRRRR*

Oops, perhaps some grub first. I was never in a hurry – life as a wanderer allowed me that privilege.

With that thought in mind, I slipped my new book into its allocated pocket dimension and left my rented room in search of lunch.

Looking back, I think if I had decided to skip lunch instead, I wouldn’t be in as much shit as I am now.

(…but honestly, I wouldn’t change it for the world…both this crazy and my old one.)

~o~o~o~

Cheese, bread, ham and lettuce.

Simple, but better than the hard tacks that had been my food before I got to this civilized town.

(Skipping supply run was never a good thing, even if you had a pocket dimension at your beck and call. Like any larder, it still needed to be filled.)

I wished I had the time to make some mayo – I ran out a few islands back – but so far, this island’s peppered ham made more than adequate replacement to the tangy taste of my favorite mayo.

Still, this island had a lot of fresh products. I should have explored more before holing up in the inn’s room to finish up my year 9’s book.

Regardless, now that I was out, I didn’t feel like going back to the room anytime soon. Exploring the town shouldn’t take that long. This port-town of Twilight Edge was one of the safest in this part of East Blue, seconded only be the Dawn Island in Goa Kingdom, which for the sake of my sanity – what was left of it – I wasn’t going to go anywhere near.

I had made it a priority to avoid everything that had anything to do with a certain monkey-like future King of Pirates.

That was the promise I made to myself, as early as my first days in this world.

The world was great enough without some additional, _unneeded_ element mixed up into it.

In fact, in one of my earliest journals, I had marked the timelines so that I know which islands to avoid during the year when that crew would be entering grand line. A good thing too – nine years eroded more than just my burning desire to go home. It also took away most of the memories of the main storyline and only some random info popped up when certain names or items appeared in my life.

That was also the reason why I avoided the Yonko – aside from their naturally troublesome nature – the marines, and the Shichibukai like plague. It was surprisingly easy, you know, even in the New World where islands were more often than not under one Yonko or another’s territory.

Civilians were, after all, nothing that these powers really notice unless they needed something. A random trader and occasional bounty hunter were dime a dozen in this world. Treasure hunters were dreamers who ended up doing mercenary jobs to eke a living. Ship salvagers were often found near islands where ships were wrecked often. There were many other occupations not mentioned in the main storyline that made for easy money and survival more bearable.

Point was: living a good, simple life was not as difficult as I thought it would be at first.

Smiling, I chewed on my sandwich happily, watching the townspeople milling about under the shade of the tree I was sitting under.  
It was peaceful…

*GRRRR*

….until I heard a monster-like growl right above me.

Surreptitiously, I fingered my dagger while looking up. I really shouldn’t be letting my guards down that much that I completely miss a presence right above me! Crap it all.

Whatever it was I was expecting, it was definitely not a kid sitting on the branch above me, his eyes fixed on my sandwich. I briefly wondered if I had to move away to avoid the drool that was running down his mouth before he slurped it back and swallowed it hungrily.

*GRRRRRRR*

His stomach growled again, louder this time and I doubted he had even registered that I had caught onto his presence and was looking straight at him.

Hmmmm.

Slowly, I brought the sandwich into my mouth and took a larger bite. Those eyes tracked the sandwich’s journey reverently and I saw the boy took another large gulp when I bit into it.

“Mpppmh,” I almost choked on my sandwich at the boy’s expression – it was so hopeful, yearning, and hungry. This place really was quickly growing on me, if this trusting boy was something that the island could produce. Swallowing the bite quickly, I called out to the little brat. “I have some more if you’re hungry.”

“REALLY?!” the boy’s face immediately brightened. Dear, dear, right up to that moment I had always thought that phrase ‘a smile that could rival the sun’ was only an expression. Faced with it, all I could do was smile back.

“Really,” I laughed, opening the box where I kept my sandwiches. “I’m almost full anyway. You can have them if you’d like.”  
Without preamble and care of the height he was at, the boy jumped down – giving me a mini heart attack while he was at it – landing smoothly beside me. “THANKS MISTER! YOU’RE A GREAT GUY!”

Just as the last word was uttered, the sandwiches seemed to have teleported from the box into this little guy’s bulging mouth. I…could only blink in surprise.

One – two – three chews later, what had been my lunch was gulped down into this boy’s stomach. I could actually see the food going down his throat into his-now-extended belly.

Then, without warning, sparkling black eyes were focused on me again. “Ne, Mister,” the boy chirped – because no other word could aptly describe the way this boy talked. “Are you going to finish that?”

“I – ” was going to say no, but then again, since when was I that nice of a person? “- am actually. In fact, hamp.” I finished the sandwich in two bites, quickly chewing it while suppressing a laugh at his pouty face, one that was accusing me of a great crime.

“Stingy!” the boy had the gall to say.

I almost choked on my last mouthful, washing them down with my juice…which now became the target of that ravenous stare as well. I drank as much as I needed then shook the canteen at the boy. “What do you mean by stingy? You ate most of lunch, you greedy brat!”

Despite my words, I let him take the canteen and as expected, the juice inside was gone with several loud gulps.

“Aaaaaah, that was good, Mister!” he cheered loudly, giving me back the empty canteen. “Ah.” He stood up and bowed awkwardly. “Thank you for the meal.”

“My, aren’t you a polite one,” I smiled at his formality. I wouldn’t have thought a wild boy like this one would know basic manner – I found that it was another thing that I had taken for granted back home – but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. “You are welcome. I couldn’t let you starve when I got some food with me.”

*Kruuuuu~*

I blinked. He blinked. And the sound repeated itself.

“You…are still hungry?”

The boy blinked twice more before collapsing on the ground, clutching his stomach.

“Ahhh, hungryyyyyy~~~” he whined.

I must admit that level of slowness was unprecedented even in this strange world.

“Oy, oy, you must be kidding me,” I sweatdropped. “That was an adult sized meal you just devoured.”

That was when I realized the straw hat hanging on his back. It was a simple straw hat with only a red ribbon tied around it to make a marked difference. The sight of it effectively dumped liquid nitrogen into my veins.

If this boy was whom I suspected him to be, HE WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE ANYWHERE BUT HIS HOMETOWN AT THIS POINT IN TIME!

_**WHAT THE FUCK WORLD?!** _

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea I had been playing with for some time, an experimental take on a One Piece Character-insert fic. Currently Unbeta-ed. Any input is appreciated! :)


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